Summer rain

Rangiku placed the last ace on her tower of cards and admired her work with pride, before she yelled: "Watch out below!" and knocked it off. In the same moment, Hitsugaya entered the office and was immediately showered with a mixture of poker and Yu-gi-oh cards.

"Ooops…" she chuckled "Sorry about that. Guess I'll be writing apology letters."

"Matsumoto…" he growled, blowing off 'Harpy Lady' from his face "What in the devil's name are you doing?"

"Move Empire State Building in my office." She answered truthfully "Although most of it is on you now."

He wrinkled his nose. "May I remind you that with Nanao-san sick, I came to help YOU with paperwork?"

"Oh, that was a distraction." Matsumoto waved her hand in the direction of a bunch of papers "I already did them."

He sweat-dropped. "You have?"

"Yup. And I got sick doing it too…." She showed him her ink-stained hand and made him feel it in order to see that her temperature was high "I have a paperwork allergy, but if it's for Nan-chan…"

"That's…unusual." Hitsugaya mumbled "But…why did you get me out of my meeting? I thought you needed help."

"I do need help." Matsumoto pouted "My dumb computer broke down again!"

What am I, a technician, he fumed while he tried to figure out what happened to the computer. Indeed, he couldn't turn it on, although nothing seemed to be wrong. He crawled under the desk and started looking over the messy pile of cables, when his eyes accidentally fell on Matsumoto's stocking-clad legs. Oh shit! Suddenly, the room felt very, VERY hot, and Hitsugaya had to close his eyes for a full minute before he was calm enough to continue his work.

Gods, Matsumoto was definitely something dangerous. Toushiro wondered whether, during her youth, when she rode her bike the police gave her an escort to save her from the crowds. Suddenly, the young CEO caught himself comparing other women he knew with her. Hinamori, his childhood friend, preferred to make herself look like the modern Gothic heroine, with many perils on her path, and a melancholy charm. However, she was so melancholy Hitsugaya often wondered if any positive emotions got to her heart. She had changed so much after they had been kids, running around in their underwear and eating watermelon on the roof. Matsumoto, on the other hand, was always energetic, smiling, positive…he had a feeling that she could inspire a rock to write an ode to her, if rocks could hold a pen.

And she was definitely more…err…feminine than his secretary. Momo had a classical figure, but that absent look on her face practically killed all living beauty. It made her look too much like a statue, or a mummy. Matsumoto, on the other hand, had shaped up quite lovely during her adolescence, and she knew it. Her cleavage was always on display, her legs seemed to go on forever thanks to the high heels and flowing skirts, and even in black, she seemed radiant. Her cheerfulness seemed to have no limit, and it made her so much more beautiful.

Careful, Hitsugaya, he thought, you're on thin ice here.

This was stupid-she was just ranting about how much her computer hated her and he could only stare at her neck, awestruck. What was happening to him?

Well, he knew what was happening to him, but it wasn't something he wanted to happen. Love, as he had found out, was very sharp and flawed-one wrong move and your heart was going to bleed to death. He wasn't sure it had survived that last blow with Karin, and Matsumoto was nothing like her. She was…older. More experienced. And she definitely had better alternatives than a boy genius with weird hair.

So why the hell did he end up having lunch with her that day? And then dinner? And then breakfast on the following day? Suddenly, their professional acquaintance became much more intimate. Although they still talked of work and contracts, Matsumoto entertained him with stories about the working holidays she had spent, and he, in return, told her what it was like to be a boy genius. Not that everyone couldn't know that, but Hitsugaya was getting the feeling that their relationship only required a…a…"sleep over", before it turned into an affair.

And he didn't want an affair. Really, he didn't. He was still hung over Karin…in his own way. And they hadn't officially broken up, she had just…forgotten that he existed. Simple as that.

Still, how bad could it be? If he tried to be Matsumoto's boyfriend? He was trying to convince himself that this was not for the best. That it went against all the rules and principles of his adolescence. Even now, when he was a successful millionaire, he was still the dork, and Matsumoto was the party queen. No matter what he did, he would still be like the moon, only reflecting the light of the sun. She was so…so….And he was so…so…Dang! If somebody had told him that he would actually be thinking that he had a chance with a woman like that five years ago, he'd have personally accompanied him to the psycho ward of the nearest hospital.

She was known to have the highest alcohol tolerance in Japan. Not among the women, in the whole country. She was non-stop on the covers of the tabloids. Her reputation was as contradictory as her character. At first, he had taken her for a person who couldn't stay away from nightclubs and sake, and if he believed the media, her list of boyfriends was twice the height of the Eiffel tower. Upon his entering college, it was not only his instinct to stay away from such women, but his prime objective. Women like that were heartbreakers, more dangerous than a tsunami or an avalanche.

Yet the woman that you thought suited you best turned out to be the worst of them all, his mind conveniently reminded him, and she hurt you in a way you never suspected to exist.

Hitsugaya almost growled with dissatisfaction, but realized that he still had a full work day ahead of him and it wouldn't be good if he got worked up in the morning.

In the meantime, Nanao was experiencing serious difficulties in getting out of her apartment. She even tried to sneak out through her neighbor's balcony, but actually discovered HIM sitting on the sofa, drinking tea. And the darn bastard had had the nerve to wave at her and call her 'Nanao-chan', in front of the old lady that kept the apartment next door.

The young woman sighed for the twentieth time that day and tried to think. No Internet connection, no way to go to the office, because the darn bastard had parked her car god knows where, and apparently he had been lodging on her doorstep because the first thing she saw when she attempted to leave her home and go to work was his outrageous pink shirt. A nanosecond later she had been shoved (politely) into her home and told that she had the day off.

And every attempt she had made to get in touch with the office, or go there, had been cut off by no other than Kyoraku Shunsui-Ukitake-san's replacement and her self-proclaimed boss.

Ok, with all the paperwork she did, she COULD pass as his secretary, but that didn't mean he could give her sick days whenever he wanted. Or hang around her apartment complex to make sure she's resting.

Resting obviously meant staying at home for this guy, because knowing that he was watching every one of her moves made Nanao more nervous than a truckload of papers, and if she hadn't already been sick, she was sure that this man would drive her to the hospital. And she HATED hospitals.

Wasn't there a legal term for this? Could she get herself a restriction order, or something like that? Nanao imagined herself going to the police and asking them for one of those, and the woman's smile appeared in front of her immediately: "Really? And what reason is there? Him taking too much care of you?"

In truth, over-protectiveness wasn't a crime, but the way he was doing it made Nanao wish it was. The thing wasn't that he was actually skipping work to make sure she skipped as well-Nanao knew better than to expect something so…mature from a guy like him…but she was really worried about what he would demand in return. She hated obligations. She hated it when she had to return favors. Nanao had always been a logical, play-safe person, but she had taken on the risks and started a company with Ukitake-san and Rangiku, mainly because she wanted to be independent.

But once her independence had been taken away, she was fighting to regain it even more. Perhaps that's why she pushed Kyoraku away…

Knock, knock, KNOCK….

Then again, she reconsidered, perhaps I'm pushing him away because he's annoying.

But to her surprise, it wasn't Kyoraku standing in the doorway, it was Hitsugaya Toushiro. Nanao, too startled to react normally, peeked out of her threshold and looked up and down the hallway, before letting him in.

"Don't worry about him, Ise-san. I told him that I only came to talk to you, I wasn't brining any paperwork."

"Did he buy it?" Nanao asked in disbelief while she put a kettle the stove

"No. He made me leave my briefcase in my car."

"I'm terribly sorry, Hitsugaya-kun, I really don't understand why should he take so much upon himself when…"

"When it's actually his fault? I'm guessing that he's feeling guilty for imposing so much work on you and he's trying to make up for it."

"Hump. Little does he know that I'll have thrice the size of today's paperwork to finish when I come back, with him neglecting his duties like this."

"Well, actually, Matsumoto-san and myself have taken care of the most urgent stuff." Hitsugaya accepted the coffee Nanao poured him and took a sip before continuing. "You should rest. She told me that you hadn't had a single day off since you started this company, even when you were sick."

"She has, hasn't she." Nanao smiled "She's very overprotective, sometimes. She sees the whole world as her protégé."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yes, that seems to fit nicely into her character outline. Ise-san, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you known her? Matsumoto Rangiku."

Nanao sighed and looked out the window. "Since forever. We met when her parents…changed locations, and she and her sister were accommodated in the dormitory of our school. Before that, I'd seen her, but I've never talked to her. Suddenly, she and Orihime became my roommates, and from that…well, we've been inseparable. Rangiku had the tendency to get into trouble, and someone had to make sure she and Orihime did their homework on time, and didn't blow the dorms up in their reckless cooking attempts. Or poison themselves. And then, somebody had to tell me to relax more often."

Then she looked at the white-haired man. "Why do you ask?"

Hitsugaya immediately blushed. "Well, I…er…we…sorta….we were talking a lot and….erm….you see…" he hadn't had three meals in a row with the same woman ever since he moved out of his parents' home. And even though it was fun, he had to take some precautions. If he was falling in love with that woman, best learn a little more about her than she told him.

In truth, during those conversations, she had avoided personal matters a little too carefully for him to ignore. Perhaps there was something to her that he had to know and that she was reluctant to tell. In such cases, it is best to go to her friends.

"Lately, we've been talking a lot and…" and he had began missing Nanao's sober-headed company. "Well, I was just curious. You are very good friends, yet you seem very different."

"That's true." Nanao hid a smile, but then suddenly, she felt very gloomy. Why was he asking her that? Why was he so interested in Rangiku?

"Why do you ask me this?" she remembered telling another silver-haired individual, not so long ago. She didn't like the way he smiled, or the way he looked at her, but when he spoke, his voice was filled with kindness she hadn't remembered encountering in any of the man Rengiku had dated before.

Just now, Hitsugaya had that same expression. And if she asked him again, she was certain that his voice would be filled with the same warmth and kindness. But…with Rangiku living in denial of men…could she really encourage Hitsugaya-kun like that? Could she send both of her friends on such a rocky ride?

Perhaps this time, she should warn one of them of it.

"Rangiku is a great person. She looks after everyone and takes on everything life throws at her. But she's very curious. If she stumbles upon a…a mystery she doesn't stop before she unwinds it fully. It doesn't help if anyone tells her to drop it, she'll just cling on it tighter. But…" she flashed a bright smile at him "If you ignore that, and forgive her, she's actually perfect."

Perfect….Could such a definition truly exist?

She was taken away from her thoughts when Hitsugaya unbuttoned the collar of his shirt and took out a stack of documents.

"I thought you didn't bring any paperwork over." Nanao exclaimed

"I can't handle these." Hitsugaya said, the expression on his face like the purest of misery "Can you..."

Nanao smiled again: "Sure. Just be careful on your way out."